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Firmin

Adventures Of A Metropolitan Lowlife

By Sam Savage

(69)

| eBook | 9780297855781

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Book Description

This is a novel told through the voice of a rat. Firmin is born in the basement of a ramshackle old bookstore but because he is the runt of the litter, he is forced to compete for food and ends up chewing on the books that surround him. Firmin soon realizes his source of nourishment has endowed him Continue

This is a novel told through the voice of a rat. Firmin is born in the basement of a ramshackle old bookstore but because he is the runt of the litter, he is forced to compete for food and ends up chewing on the books that surround him. Firmin soon realizes his source of nourishment has endowed him with the ability to read and this discovery fills him with an insatiable hunger for literature and a very unratlike sense of the world and his place in it. As Firmin navigates the shadowy streets of his decaying area, looking for understanding, his excitement, loneliness, fear, and self-consciousness become remarkably human and undeniably touching. But the days of the bookshop and of the close community around it are numbered. The area has been marked out for 'urban regeneration' and soon the faded glory of the bookshop, the small local theatre, the unique shops and small cafes will face the bulldozers and urban planners.Brilliantly original and richly allegorical, Firmin is brimming with charm and wistful longing for a world that understands the redemptive power of literature and treasures its seedy theaters, one-of-a-kind characters, and cluttered bookshops.

Critics

  • Animal magic

    Firmin by Sam Savage 184pp, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, £10.99 The Wolf by Joseph Smith 154pp, Jonathan Cape, £10 Talking animals are common in children's literature, but not many adult novels feature such narrators as Firmin and The Wolf: a well-read rat ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

  • Firman: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife

    Though potentially a literary spin on Ratatouille, this is a melancholy and quirky debut novel. The titular hero is a rat born in a Boston bookshop. Unfed by his mother, Firmin starts eating his bed of shredded pages of Finnegans Wake and miraculousl ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

6 Reviews

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  • 1 person find this helpful

    Reading Firmin

    Although it is a slight book, Firmin is certainly an enjoyable book for readers. Because Firmin is a rat who literally devours literature (and learns to read in the process), many old favorites are covered with humor, intelligence and wit.

    I primarily found myself liking Firmin because it made ... (continue)

    Although it is a slight book, Firmin is certainly an enjoyable book for readers. Because Firmin is a rat who literally devours literature (and learns to read in the process), many old favorites are covered with humor, intelligence and wit.

    I primarily found myself liking Firmin because it made me mindful of Watership Down - but with a rat instead of rabbits. Firmin the rat is a tragic figure in that he is highly intelligent with no way of conveying that fact. His life is in turns funny and tragic depending on the day. Words are everything, and he almost feeds on them more than the actual stuff that would actually sustain a rat in real life.

    The book is brief at only 148 pages, and is an easy, quick and rewarding read. For a first novel, it's definitely a winner though I do wish there was a little more to it.

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    moogle said on Apr 10, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Poignant and allegorical. It's beautiful, and sad. Firmin offers a unique perspective on the world. It's not often you'll find something as original as this, definitely worth a read.

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    MrsFidelius said on Dec 2, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

    I expected something more! <br />The idea of a - first literally, than metaphorically - "book-bulimic" rat fascinated me. The problem is this is the only original idea in the whole novel: once Firmin's passion for books has been introduced (the first 50 or 60 pages are remarkable), the narrati ... (continue)

    I expected something more! <br />The idea of a - first literally, than metaphorically - "book-bulimic" rat fascinated me. The problem is this is the only original idea in the whole novel: once Firmin's passion for books has been introduced (the first 50 or 60 pages are remarkable), the narration stagnates losing all appeal. What remains is the autobiography of a depressed, day-dreamer rat with a soft spot for hardcore movies... not that much, actually!

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    Chibena said on May 10, 2009 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

  • Meet Firmin, the talking rat - though all the talking actually happens inside his head, as in reality he can only manage a few squeeks. And though he can't express them to anyone but himself, his head is filled with words, stories and dreams.
    He has learned the power of words when, as the runt ... (continue)

    Meet Firmin, the talking rat - though all the talking actually happens inside his head, as in reality he can only manage a few squeeks. And though he can't express them to anyone but himself, his head is filled with words, stories and dreams.
    He has learned the power of words when, as the runt of his litter, he started chewing the pages of the books in the bookshop his mother found refuge in. Slowly he realizes that he can understand what words say and instead of chewing, he begins to read the books, developing an oversized immagination.
    A bittersweet, melanchonic fable for adults about loneliness, longing and belonging, the dark side of humanity and how reading can enreach your life.

    Is this helpful?

    Miki said on Apr 11, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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